/// Last month, at International Pizza Expo 2011, more than 80 educational seminars were conducted on a variety of topics, ranging from marketing to reducing waste.
/// Approximately 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation, while only 12 percent are still viable into the third generation, according to the Family Business Institute.
$70 BILLION
Families with children account for 14 billion meals and in sales annually, according to The NPD Group.
Places that Rock // Viccino’s Pizza Co. / Goodman’s American Pie / Goat Hill Pizza
Viccino’s Pizza Co.
1905 Glenview Road
Glenview Illinois 60025
(847) 724-9500
www.viccinos.com
The upscale company with five Chicago-area locations offers dine-in, carryout and delivery. While the company offers traditional pan and stuffed pizzas, it takes pleasure in offering North Shore residents thin and Roma (focaccia bread-like crust topped with cheese) style. There’s also standard and whole wheat flour available. The result? Plenty of options for North Shore residents. There’s also a devoted menu for those who seek out gourmet pizza. The company’s Viccino’s Special — sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper — is a favorite, but we especially like the Paesan. This pizza features barbecue sauce, red onion and cilantro. And while chicken is an option to top it, so is sausage. Now that’s different!
Goodman’s American Pie
106 Main Street
Ludlow, Vermont 05149
(802) 228-4271
Located in a skiing community, Goodman’s brings the eccentricity and the comfort food. Ski lift chairs serve as seating, the counter is shaped from a Volkswagen bus and pizza is baked in a wood-burning oven. The Vermont soapstone base chars the thin crust in a way New Englanders and tourists seem to love, and that’s what brings them back time and time again. The menu features an eclectic assortment of traditional and non-traditional offerings. We dare anyone to order the Triple Bypass without a grin — the pizza is generously topped with pepperoni, sausage and ham. If you’re “feelin’ lucky, punk?” you can add bacon!
Goat Hill Pizza
300 Connecticut St.
San Francisco, California 94107
(415) 641-1440
www.goathill.com
We admit — the name alone first drew our attention to this San Franciscan pizzeria, which has two area locations. The company makes its own sourdough crust, but soups and sauces are house-made as well. Goat Hill has made a name for itself with its Neighborhood Night, which features all-you-can-eat salad and pizza on Monday nights (a great way to bring in crowds on the industry’s slowest night). This is no warmed over buffet, though. Servers carry around slices for tables to try, and that’s a great way to get folks to sample a style they might not normally want in a 16-inch large. At $10.95, we think that’s both affordable and tasty!